Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant – about 30 seconds.
Add asparagus, a pinch of salt and ground black pepper, to taste. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until almost crisp-tender.
Add almonds and continue to cook until asparagus is crisp-tender and almonds are toasted, about 1-2 more minutes.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with lemon zest and serve immediately.
Notes
Make sure that you don't overcook the asparagus or it will become mushy and brown. Remove it from the heat while it's still crisp-tender.
Scale the recipe to accommodate the size of your family. For instance, sauté just ½ lb. of asparagus to serve 2-3 people, or double all of the ingredients and prepare enough for 8 people.
Wait to stir the almonds into the skillet during the final 1-2 minutes, because nuts toast quickly and you don't want them to burn.
When zesting the lemon, make sure that you don't grate off any of the white pith from the fruit, which is very bitter. The essential oils and all of the flavor can be found in the outer layer of the peel, so that's the part that you want for the garnish.